This invention is directed toward a computer-controlled fuel system monitor that works with both gas and diesel-fueled vehicles, and can operate independently or in combination with an auxiliary fuel tank, auxiliary fuel pump, sending unit, check valves, inlet and outlet fuel lines, wiring harness, computer module, auxiliary emissions canister assembly, vehicle installation means, and LCD and LED display devices. The invention is not dependant upon any other computer systems and is fully transparent to any on-board systems. In addition to overseeing the transfer of fuel from the auxiliary tank to the OEM tank, the fuel monitoring system (FMS) monitors a variety of functions of the vehicle, and from that data can calculate and display a wide range of information for the user, and is fully user calibratable. The invention not only warns of low fuel situations, but also provides a wide range of diagnostic tools to analyze and display problems with the fuel system.
1. Field of the Invention
This invention describes a new device in the field of fuel systems, specifically both gasoline and diesel fuel control systems which are user-calibratable for many classes of vehicle makes and models. The invention is a computer module which monitors the fuel system and also provides on-board diagnostic (OBD) capabilities. The system is designed to work with both new and used main fuel systems, can provide OBD capability to either system, can be either sold with new vehicles or retrofitted on used vehicles, and is usable as a “stand alone” component or in combination with an auxiliary fuel tank, auxiliary fuel pump, sending unit, check valves, inlet and outlet fuel lines, wiring harness, computer module, auxiliary emissions canister assembly, vehicle installation means, and LCD and LED display devices.
Vehicles have had on-board computer controlled vehicle subsystems to control various vehicle components such as engine, ignition, transmission, brake, and suspension systems. Due to the complexity and inter-relationship between some of these vehicle systems, buses, or other on-board computer communication systems, have been developed to enable data and control signals to be passed between particular vehicle computers. Because of the heavy reliance on such on-board computers, combined with the variety of system types employed by the various automobile manufacturers, vehicles sold in the United States now are required to provide a standardized diagnostic interface to facilitate compatibility with standardized diagnostic scan tools.
As society becomes increasingly comfortable with computers, there has been an ever-growing push toward allowing humans to modify computer-driven systems to their own tastes. This trend has not been lost upon the automobile industry, which has been using computer-controlled systems to run various portions of vehicles for decades. Over the years, it has become apparent that it is also desirable to have a computer-controlled device which notifies the owner of vehicle troubles and when certain components, such as air and oil filters, need to be replaced. While modern “must haves” such as personal digital assistants and customizable cells phones have become commonplace throughout most of the modern world, such hands-on technology has only recently become available for vehicle operators. With the current invention, it is now possible for a vehicle owner to customize what information he/she receives about the performance of the vehicle, and allows the user much greater access to more accurate information than ever before, in addition to monitoring and overseeing the transfer of fuel from an auxiliary fuel tank to a main tank. The invention was developed to meet this long-felt need.
2. Background Art
The prior art teaches a number of fuel transfer systems. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,834,132 to Sasaki, for a Fuel Transfer Apparatus, describes a fuel transfer system for transferring fuel from a first sump to a second sump formed in a vehicle fuel tank. The prior art also provides several examples of multiple fuel systems which have the capability of switching not only from one tank to another, but also one fuel to another, for example, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 2004/0111210 to Davis, U.S. Pat. No. 4,817,568 to Bedford and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 2003/0233206 to White. U.S. Pat. No. 4,951,699 to Lipman for a Fuel Transfer System with Aspirator, shows a device and system to transport fuel from the interior portion of a fuel tank to another tank by automatic siphon action. An aspirator that evacuates air and fuel vapor from the siphon by the flow effect of the return fuel through a Venturi or reduced diameter portion of the return fuel line initiates the siphon. There is also prior art on the computer monitoring of liquid changes in a storage tank, as illustrated by U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,827,762 and 4,672,842 to Hasselmann, and on using computers to monitor the movement of fuel from a storage tank to a vehicle, as in U.S. Pat. No. 4,107,777 to Pearson. Diagnostic systems for vehicles have also been developed, including U.S. Pat. No. 5,679,890 to Shinohara and U.S. Pat. No. 6,691,023 to Fujino.
There are numerous patents which teach methods to provide special devices for verifying the operation of a data processing system. Some systems include separate maintenance or auxiliary processing units for testing different subsystems during normal operation or during a test mode of operation. The prior art also shows systems which include an internal testing capability integrated within the processing units of a system for establishing a certain level of operability. An example is seen in U.S. Pat. No. 5,548,713 to Petry which describes an on-board diagnostic testing apparatus which can test a processing unit in a system, and which also is usable in a factory test environment.
The ability of a system to communicate diagnostic test results are also known. Berra et al, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,555,498 describes a circuit and method for interfacing vehicle controller and diagnostic test instruments. An adapter is provided which permits the use of present diagnostic tools with newer ISO9141-equipped engine and transmission controllers. The adapter facilitates bidirectional communication while conditioning the signals entering and exiting the adapter.
Machida et al, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,592,923, describe diagnosis apparatus for treating fuel vapor of an engine, in which the fuel vapor in a fuel tank is once adsorbed and trapped in a canister and is then supplied to the intake system of an engine, wherein various valves are so controlled that a predetermined pressure condition is established in a passage for supplying the fuel vapor, and the various valves are diagnosed to determine whether they are defective or not, based upon pressure measurements against a norm.
The prior art also discusses difficulties in obtaining low cost, accurate, and repeatable fuel level measurement systems. A float-level sensor, including an immersed resistive sender element, has become a common standard, but it is known to be subject to effects of contact corrosion associated with various additives in the fuel. Gonze, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,782,699, combats alcohol-caused corrosion by applying a 1-millisecond current pulse to the detector once a minute. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,172,007, Lumetta describes the problems associated with these common senders when immersed in so-called “flexible fuels” being developed for reduced hydrocarbon emissions. His specific solutions have been shown to be effective with M-85 (85% methyl alcohol and 15% gasoline) fuel when switched between 100 Hz and 15 kHz, but nothing is taught regarding more common gasoline fuels incorporating modern additives.
The industry has also recognized the desirability of having reliable methods of transferring fuel from one tank to another. U.S. Pat. No. 4,591,115 to DeCarlo teaches a fuel supply balance system for a helicopter. DeCarlo's invention supplies a method by which fuel from a larger tank can be transferred automatically to a small tank upon detection of a low fuel supply in the smaller tank. The invention also describes how it can be used to transfer a predetermined quantity of fuel between selected tanks by timed operation of a constant delivery pump when the invention is used in non-automatic, manual mode. While the theory and mechanism of transferring fuel from one tank to another is similar in some ways to the current invention, the helicopter fuel supply balance system does not provide for nearly as much user control and feedback as does the current invention.
Another fuel-transferring invention is found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,555,873 to Nolen. This invention offers a method by which fuel is transferred from one tank to another when the parking brake is applied. As both the parking brake annunciator (light or audible device) and the pneumatic pressure system are independent of the primary service brake system in large vehicles, the apparatus receives a signal from the parking brake system to switch tanks automatically with no intervention required or allowed by the driver. Thus, while this invention does offer a unique method of the timing of when fuel is transferred, it does not propose the substantial amount of user calibration and modification allowed by the current invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,426,971 to Glidewell, et. al. is another patent dealing with sensors placed upon a fuel system. Glidewell's invention focuses on an on-board diagnostic system for determining the presence of vapor in a fuel supply line of an engine during driving. The sensor is mounted to the fuel supply line for sensing transient fuel pressure saves resulting from actuation of one or more fuel injectors. This patent, however, is limited to detecting fuel line vapor and does not cover the broader spectrum of engine and fuel system variables discussed by the current patent.
While many components of an effective system to monitor the transfer of fuel from one tank to another and effectuate the same have been produced, a means of doing so and providing key data on the system and fuel supply has been lacking.
A patent which attempted to solve many of the aforementioned problems was U.S. Pat. No. 6,405,744 to LaPant. This patent taught a computer-controlled auxiliary fuel system which monitors and controls the on-board transfer of fuel from an auxiliary fuel tank to a main OEM fuel tank, and monitors the fuel system. While this patent provided a suitable means of overseeing the transfer of fuel and performed some basic monitoring services on the fuel system, it did not address a number of problems which have been resolved by the current invention, including having a “stand alone” monitoring system which can operate independently or in combination with an auxiliary fuel tank system. Such improvements made by the current invention include having the system full calibratable by the user, having the fuel monitoring system (FMS) monitor more aspects of the fuel system and engine, being fully transparent to any on-board computer system, not relying on any in-line flow meter in any fuel line, providing warnings when the user is running low on fuel or in need of servicing or replacement of parts, and calculating and displaying a number of pieces of data, all under the control of the user and all calculable on a “snapshot”, short-term or long-term basis, including miles per gallon, miles per hour, gallons per mile, fuel, fuel %, current speed, revolutions per minute, time traveled, distance traveled, time to empty, distance to empty, fuel cost, and average $/gallon.
Thus there has existed a long-felt need for a system which can not only oversee and direct the transfer of fuel from one tank to another on a vehicle, but also compute a number a different pieces of data, relating to speed, mileage, and expected maintenance, and have the system be programmable and controllable by a non-computer expert user.
The current invention provides just such a solution by having a computer-controlled fuel monitoring system that works with both gas and diesel-fueled vehicles, and can operate independently, or in combination with an auxiliary fuel tank, auxiliary fuel pump, sending unit, check valves, inlet and outlet fuel lines, wiring harness, computer module, auxiliary emissions canister assembly, vehicle installation means, and LCD and LED display devices. The invention is not dependant upon any other computer systems and is fully transparent to any on-board systems. In addition to overseeing the transfer of fuel from the auxiliary tank to the OEM tank, the fuel monitoring system (FMS) monitors a variety of functions of the vehicle, and from that data can calculate and display a wide range of information for the user, and is fully user calibratable. The invention not only warns of low fuel situations, but also provides a wide range of diagnostic tools to analyze and display problems with the fuel system.